Literary Terms

Question 1

Allegory

Answer 1

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a meaning

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

A reference to something (a proper noun)
Ex. This book is like this other book

Question 3

Apostrophe

Answer 3

To talk to someone or something that cannot or will not respond.
Ex. “Clouds, where is the rain!?”

Question 4

Three appeals

Answer 4

Logos- Logic
Pathos- emotion
Ethos- ethics

Question 5

analogy

Answer 5

comparing two things based on a particular aspect
ex. life is like a box of chocolates- you never know what you’ll get

Question 6

antagonist

Answer 6

the person against the protagonist in a story

Question 7

epic

Answer 7

a poem that tells a story
ex. the Odyssey

Question 8

epithet

Answer 8

a nickname that characterizes a person or thing
ex. Gorlox the destroyer, reader of books

Question 9

figurative language

Answer 9

non-literal language
ex. hyperbole, metaphor, simile

Question 10

foreshadow

Answer 10

a hint of whats to come in a story
ex. a character having a tattoo in a start scene, and the same tattoo showing up later in the story

Question 11

hyperbole

Answer 11

an exaggeration
ex. i could eat a cow, this bag weighs a ton

Question 12

dramatic irony

Answer 12

when the audience know what the characters don’t
ex. knowing who the killer is in a movie by a start scene that the characters aren’t in

Question 13

situational irony

Answer 13

when the outcome of a situation in not what is expected
ex. a police station getting robbed, a fire station burning down

Question 14

verbal irony

Answer 14

when what is said is the opposite of its literal meaning (sarcasm, mocking)
ex. oh great, we missed the train

Question 15

metaphor

Answer 15

a comparison not using like or as
ex. its an oven out here

Question 16

personification

Answer 16

giving an inanimate object human characteristics
ex. the wind was whispering, the waves were roaring

Question 17

protagonist

Answer 17

the main character we are rooting for

Question 18

simile

Answer 18

a comparison using like or as

Question 19

connotation

Answer 19

an idea or feeling that a word evokes separate from its actual meaning.
ex. discipline has negative connotation

Question 20

denotation

Answer 20

the literal meaning of a word separate from the emotion it evokes
ex. home meaning a place someone lives, not the feeling that comes with it

Question 21

epigraph

Answer 21

short quote or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme

Question 22

diction

Answer 22

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing

Question 23

euphemism

Answer 23

a mild or indirect word or expression substitute for one considered too harsh or blunt
ex. your grandma passed instead of your grandma died

Question 24

evidence

Answer 24

info that supports or contradicts an argument

Question 25

foil

Answer 25

a character who contrasts w/ another character (typically the protagonist) to highlight qualities of the protagonist

Question 26

genre

Answer 26

a category of artistic composition, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter

Question 27

Idiom

Answer 27

a group of words that have meaning not deducible from the individual words ex. it's raining cats and dogs

Question 28

Imagery

Answer 28

visually descriptive or figurative language

Question 29

malapropism

Answer 29

the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar sounding one ex. dance a flamingo instead of flamenco

Question 30

motif

Answer 30

recuring concept or image that gains symbolism

Question 31

myth

Answer 31

a traditional story especially involving super natura beings or events

Question 32

oxymoron

Answer 32

a figure of speech in which apparently contradicting terms appear in conjunction. ex. organized chaos, deafening silence

Question 33

paradox

Answer 33

a contradiction that is also true ex. Youth is wasted on the young, less is more.

Question 34

parallel structure

Answer 34

the repetition of a similar grammatical forms w/in a a sentence or among sentences ex. the bus excepts cash, credit, cards, and checks

Question 35

parody

Answer 35

an imitation of a style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration

Question 36

personification

Answer 36

giving an in-anament object human characteristics or feelings ex. the wind whispered

Question 37

point of view

Answer 37

the perspective that the narrator hods in relation to the events of the story

Question 38

protagonist

Answer 38

the main character we are rooting for

Question 39

reasoning

Answer 39

the way the reader analyzes characters, setting, plots, themes, and predictions

Question 40

satire

Answer 40

making someone or something look bad in order to embarrass, humble, or discredit its target ex. a funny political cartoon exposing the government

Question 41

sensory imagery

Answer 41

the use of vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the readers 5 senses ex. the air smelled sweetly salty

Question 42

simile

Answer 42

a comparison between two things using like or as ex. the air is thick like water

Question 43

symbol

Answer 43

an object, a person, a situation, or an action that has a literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents another

Question 44

theme

Answer 44

a central topic, subject, or message w/in a narrative

Question 45

thesis

Answer 45

the sentence that introduces the main argument or point of view in a composition

Question 46

tone

Answer 46

the attitude or emotional quality of the authors narrative voice

Question 47

litotes (understatement)

Answer 47

saying a term in a negative form to create emphasis ex. my friend is not unfunny

Question 48

unreliable narrator

Answer 48

any narrator who misleads readers, either deliberately or intentionally